If your team uses Slack, you can integrate it with Kustomer using workflows. For one use case, you can create a workflow to notify a Slack channel whenever a new chat message is received. This is just one of many possibilities as workflows can be customized for a variety of tasks. This article will guide you through setting up a workflow so you never miss an inbound chat from a customer.

In this article

• Prerequisites
• Find your Slack webhook URL
• Create the workflow
• Enter the workflow JSON code

Prerequisites

Before following this guide, we recommend that you already be comfortable with the basics of using workflows.

You will need to have an active Slack account, and have an understanding of using webhooks and working with developer APIs. These two documents cover necessary background information that will be applied in this walkthrough:

• Slack API: Sending messages using incoming webhooks
• Kustomer API: Call a REST API within a workflow

Find your Slack webhook URL

Before you can begin the setup process in Kustomer, you'll need to create an incoming webhook in Slack. To set this up, follow these steps from the Slack API: Sending messages using incoming webhooks. 

When this setup is complete, make note of your webhook URL; you'll need this later on in the setup process in the Kustomer settings. Your Slack webhook URL will be formatted like this:

https://hooks.slack.com/services/T00000000/B00000000/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Create the Workflow

Now, you'll open up Kustomer. The first step will be to create the workflow.

1. Go to Settings > Platform > Workflows.
2. Select Add Workflow. 
3. Fill out the Workflow Title; you can leave the Description field blank because our code snippet will provide this for you.
4. Select Create to save the workflow and begin working in the Workflow Editor.

Enter the workflow JSON code

You will then use the Workflow Editor to paste in a workflow code supplied below. This JSON code will take care of most of the workflow creation, aside from a few placeholder values that you'll need to update manually.

1. In the Workflow Editor, use the Workflow Optionsto select Edit Workflow JSON.
   
2. A modal appears where you can edit the code for this workflow directly. Select and delete the current JSON code.
3. Copy this code block, and paste it into the JSON text field in your Workflow Editor:
   

   {
     "description": "Posts to Slack whenever a message is created with message conversation details.",
     "name": "slack",
     "steps": [
       {
         "id": "eeWBChdww",
         "transitions": [
           {
             "meta": {
               "name": "Email or SMS?"
             },
             "condition": {
               "values": [
                 {
                   "values": [
                     "/#steps.1.channel",
                     "email"
                   ],
                   "op": "contains"
                 },
                 {
                   "values": [
                     "/#steps.1.channel",
                     "sms"
                   ],
                   "op": "contains"
                 }
               ],
               "op": "or"
             },
             "target": "cSS3Gw1fV"
           }
         ]
       },
       {
         "appVersion": "kustomer-^1.2.1",
         "params": {
           "identifier": "/#steps.1.customer"
         },
         "action": "kustomer.customer.find",
         "id": "cSS3Gw1fV",
         "transitions": [
           {
             "condition": {
               "values": [
                 true
               ],
               "op": "true"
             },
             "target": "VIK9f-WHk"
           }
         ]
       },
       {
         "appVersion": "kustomer-^1.2.1",
         "params": {
           "id": "/#steps.1.conversation"
         },
         "action": "kustomer.conversation.find-by-id",
         "id": "VIK9f-WHk",
         "transitions": [
           {
             "meta": {
               "name": "Inbound?"
             },
             "target": "eH6zZmIOm",
             "condition": {
               "op": "eq",
               "values": [
                 "/#steps.1.direction",
                 "in"
               ]
             }
           }
         ]
       },
       {
         "appVersion": "kustomer-^1.2.1",
         "params": {
           "headers": {
             "Content-Type": "application/json"
           },
           "uri": "SLACKHOOKHERE",
           "method": "POST",
           "json": true,
           "data": {
             "attachments": [
               {
                 "fallback": "New message in Kustomer for conversation: {{steps.VIK9f-WHk.name}}",
                 "pretext": "New message in Kustomer for conversation {{steps.1.conversation}}",
                 "title": "Go to conversation",
                 "title_link": "https://ORGNAME.kustomerapp.com/app/conversations/{{steps.1.conversation}}",
                 "color": "#D00000",
                 "fields": [
                   {
                     "title": "Event",
                     "value": "Outbound Message Created",
                     "short": false
                   },
                   {
                     "title": "Customer Name",
                     "value": "/#steps.cSS3Gw1fV.name",
                     "short": false
                   },
                   {
                     "title": "Subject",
                     "value": "/#steps.VIK9f-WHk.name",
                     "short": false
                   },
                   {
                     "title": "Conversation Status",
                     "value": "/#steps.VIK9f-WHk.status",
                     "short": false
                   },
                   {
                     "title": "Message Direction",
                     "value": "/#steps.1.direction",
                     "short": false
                   },
                   {
                     "title": "Message Body",
                     "value": "/#steps.1.preview",
                     "short": false
                   }
                 ]
               }
             ],
             "username": "Kustomer",
             "channel": "#CHANNELNAME"
           }
         },
         "action": "kustomer.rest-api.json",
         "id": "eH6zZmIOm",
         "transitions": []
       }
     ],
     "trigger": {
       "transitions": [
         {
           "meta": {
             "name": "Filter imported messages"
           },
           "condition": {
             "values": [
               "/#steps.1.importedAt"
             ],
             "op": "dne"
           },
           "target": "eeWBChdww"
         }
       ],
       "eventName": "kustomer.message.create",
       "id": "1",
       "appVersion": "kustomer-^1.2.1"
     }
   }

   
   
4. On the following lines, update the placeholder strings as follows:
   • line 83: SLACKHOOKHERE - The webhook URL from Slack, which you located earlier.
   • line 92: ORGNAME - Your Kustomer org subdomain.
   • line 129: #CHANNELNAME - The Slack channel where you want notifications to be posted.
5. Select Update to dismiss the JSON editor and save the changes to this workflow.
6. If you'd like to make any other changes to this workflow, you can do so now. When you're finished, Save your changes and exit the Workflow Editor.

When you're ready to activate this workflow, use the toggle in the Workflow Settings to switch it on or off.